Essentials to Stock in Your Underground Shelter to Protect Your Family

No one knows what the future may hold. Major terrorist attacks, civil unrest, cataclysmic weather and even nuclear war are all possibilities. The geopolitical landscape could change at a moment’s notice in a way that puts regular American families at risk. One way to hedge against that risk is to build an underground shelter to help protect your family if a nightmare scenario were to occur.

While the design of such a shelter is certainly important, what you place into that shelter is also very important. Make sure your underground shelter is stocked with the kinds of supplies you and your family will need to survive for an extended period of time. Here are some items that you should certainly consider stocking inside your underground shelter for when they’re needed.

Water

According to Business Insider, a human being can only survive for one week without water. It may be even less than that if it is hot. Make sure to stock your underground shelter with plenty of water. Bottled water lasts longer than water obtained from other sources. It should be good for two years or more if not opened. Store a gallon for each person who will be in the shelter per day. Invest in larger sealed containers to save room.

Dental Hygiene Supplies

Even if you are forced to live in a shelter temporarily, dental hygiene is still important. Stock some things like mouth rinse and tooth paste. Be careful to check expiration dates and swap out the supplies as needed for regular use. Consider placing a water flosser that only requires water to floss in your shelter. Water flossers at Pearly Whytes will work well.

Food

As you can probably surmise, you should not stock food in your underground shelter that can spoil or has a short shelf life. Instead, choose canned goods that can last for years while unopened and bottled goods such as pickled foods that have extended shelf lives. Dried goods like rice, beans, flours and cereals are also good choices for storage. However, you may not have access to things like a stove or boiling water to prepare certain foods in certain scenarios. With that in mind, consider storing “meals ready to eat” or MREs for short that require as little preparation as possible.

Light Sources

During a catastrophic event, it’s quite likely you will lose power and not have access to electricity. A backup generator that requires a fuel source like gas is a very bad choice for an underground shelter due to the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning in an enclosed space while running it. Instead, you will need alternative light sources.

Begin stocking candles, matches and batteries for flash lights. Solar charged lights may be a good choice for when it’s safe to go outside. While natural light from the sun may seem like a good option, allowing it into your shelter could also harm the shelter’s ability to protect your family from things like nuclear fallout. Keep this in mind.

First Aid Supplies

Family members could become injured before evacuating into the underground shelter. An injury may also occur while in the shelter as well. You need to make sure you have the proper first aid supplies to supply emergency medical care when it’s needed. Store at least two first aid kits in the shelter. Things a proper first aid kit should include are bandages, hypoallergenic tape, splints, medical pads, rubbing alcohol, antiseptic, scissors, pain killers and more.

Anti-Radiation Pills

If you are trying to hide yourself from nuclear fallout, you should be aware of the fact that one of the biggest risks is the exposure to radioactive iodine. If you want to protect your thyroid against the possibility of developing cancer due to this exposure, you need to stock medicine for that scenario. As WebMD outlines, taking potassium iodide tablets before or directly after exposure to nuclear fallout can prevent your thyroid from absorbing radioactive iodine.

Entertainment

While your number one concern for an underground shelter may be safety and survival, you don’t want to be absolutely miserable down there as well. Include some entertainment choices for your family to use to pass the time. Books and board games are good choices since they don’t require electricity to operate and won’t drain batteries that could be saved for things like flash lights.